


Building Together

by l2set



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Dad Gabe, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Furniture Building with Real Instructions, Furniture building, Get Together, Introspection, Kissing, M/M, Missions Gone Wrong, My Favorite Version of Gabe is Dad Gabe, Old Men In Love, Old Men in Shorts, One Shot, Play Fighting, Regrets, Reinhardt Collects Model Tanks, Small Cowboys, The All Knowing Ana, gross old men, happiness, stuffed animals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-20 19:25:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9508934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/l2set/pseuds/l2set
Summary: Gabe was going to kill him. No holds barred, no questions asked: Jack was a dead man. He had fucked up well and good on this last mission, and now he had to inform Gabe of what happened. Angela, Winston, and Ana were at a loss at how to fix the situation, and Jack had been hoping that it would be no problem, just a funny story he could relay to Gabe with minimal consequence.Featuring: A mission gone wrong, which results in some de-aging, Jack and Gabe having to build furniture together, and finally making a move on each other. Plus, Ana knows all.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Samky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samky/gifts).



> this is a (very) late birthday gift for a friend. the request was: domestic furniture building with some r76 action. 
> 
> i sincerely hope i delivered.

Gabe was going to kill him. No holds barred, no questions asked: Jack was a dead man. He had fucked up well and good on this last mission, and now he had to inform Gabe of what happened. Angela, Winston, and Ana were at a loss at how to fix the situation, and Jack had been hoping that it would be no problem, just a funny story he could relay to Gabe with minimal consequence. 

Jack knocked on the Gabe’s door. He waited quietly, steeling himself for the confrontation. Trying to make sense of what he was going to tell the other man, how he was going to not panic his friend with the information. Trying to convince himself that if Gabe lashed out, he totally deserved it for fucking up so badly.

“What?” Gabe answered, opening the door and running a towel through wet hair. He was standing in just shorts, water dripping off his body. Jack stood there with his mouth open, throat dry, and all words vanished from his brain. “Morrison? Aren’t you supposed to back in a few days?”

“Heh, yeah, well about that - “ Gabe narrowed his eyes. Jack chuckled nervously, wishing he has his face mask on still. “Is this a bad time?”

“Morrison,” Gabe spat out, and stepped away from the doorway. He gestured Jack to enter his quarters. Jack obeyed, knowing that there was no way out of this now. “Sit. Explain.”

“Right,” Jack said, and sat in one of Gabe’s chairs. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and blew out a big breath. He could do this, it would be an honor to die by Gabe’s hand. Maybe he could get Gabe to choke him a la fantasy, instead of a shotgun spray to the gut.

“Morrison, I’m waiting,” Gabe reminded him, standing with his arms crossed over his bare chest. The towel he was using was tucked slightly into his shorts, but he still didn’t bother to get dressed further. 

“Apparently Talon is testing new technology with some of the stuff Sombra stole from Winston and Lena a while back. And, it was uh, a success so to say.”

“What kind of success, Morrison?” Gabe asked, voice on edge. “Spit out already.”

“Some of the team may or may not have been, for all intents and purposes, deaged?” Jack said, grimacing. Gabe’s eyes narrowed, and glowed red under his lids. “I already spoke to Winston, Angela, and Ana, they are trying to reverse it. But so far, no luck.”

“Who, Morrison?” Gabe sounded worried. He knew who went on that mission, and he had trusted Jack to take care of them. 

“Hana, Lena, Mccree, and Sombra,” Jack told him point blank, not softening the blow. “Fareeha and I were checking out some disturbances - Mccree and Lena have been around long enough to take of less seasoned agents and to handle themselves alone on a mission.”

“Morrison.” 

“ _Don’t_. It was a tactical decision, and you would’ve made the same one!” Jack snapped back, not as afraid of Gabe’s wrath as before. “It was a sound decision. Fareeha has more experience in security matters, and she needed someone on the ground. Mccree is good at black ops - you know that - so leaving him in charge of the others made sense.”

“Don’t - “ Gabe started, stopped, and then huffed. He visibly deflated, and dropped into a chair next to Jack. “What happened?”

“Fareeha and I went to go check some disturbances on the perimeter: we deactivated all the security measures, but we needed to make sure there weren’t any silent alarms. I left Mccree in charge of getting into the warehouse and getting what we needed. Plus, Sombra actually listens to him over Lena. The warehouse was rigged, Talon didn’t even need to be there.” 

“And Sombra didn’t detect anything?”

“If she did, we won’t know until they are reversed back to their proper ages,” Jack explained. Gabe opened his mouth but Jack shook his head. “We don’t know how long that will take or if we can. Winston, Angela, and Ana are working on it. I think they are waiting to hear back from Mei, see if she has any input.”

“How old?”

“Uh, they seem to be between eight and ten years old. The Talon tech didn’t seem to deage them proportionally really, just about to the same ages.”

“You’re telling me that we have to deal with Jesse and Sombra at pre-teen age?”

“Yeah,” Jack confirmed. “And Lena and Hana. Lena still needs her chronal accelerator. Actually she hasn’t woken up yet – Winston is hoping that it stabilized her enough that she’s still mostly adult.”

“How did they get out of the warehouse?”

“Mccree. Even at a young age he’s scrappy. He has no clue what’s going on though, just knew that he had to get them out of there. He uh, doesn’t much like me. But he’s enamored with Fareeha and Ana.”

“At least he still got good taste,” Gabe said, and Jack automatically smacked him on the shoulder.

“Watch it,” He said. “Actually, speaking of watching, um, I gotta go take care of the now kiddos. Ana and Rein have them, but they are my responsibility so – “

“Give me a moment, let me get ready. I’m not leaving you to take care of my – the now kiddos. You’ll frighten them. Do you even know how handle kids?”

“Uh,” Jack said, blushing. Gabe snorted and got up, heading back into his bathroom. Jack could hear him moving stuff around and some muffled curses. “Everything okay in there?”

“Yes,” Gabe responded, stepping out of the bathroom. He looked just as good in a pair of black sweats and a dark grey tee as he did in just shorts. Jack felt like he wasn’t going to survive this ordeal. “Let’s go save your team from the old folks.”

“We’re old folks now, too.”

“They wish.”

* * *

“What do you mean we have to kid proof a room?” Gabe growled out, looking pointedly at Ana. She glared back at him with her one good eye, arms crossed over her chest in a strange mimic of his stance. Rein and Jack stayed out of their way, Sombra perched on Rein’s shoulders, and Hana on Jack’s. Jesse sat by himself, his back to all the commotion.

“They cannot hang around this base with everything here, Gabriel. They need a room or rooms for themselves. It’s too dangerous. We have live ammunition here, and technically they can still access everything, their scans didn’t change.”

“I highly doubt, Amari, that Athena will just let them – “

“You don’t think that Sombra can find a way around her? You need to kid proof a room. Get them beds, furniture, and things to do. We don’t know how long this is going to last.”

“I understand that, but why do we – me and Jack – have to do it?”

“One, because Jack fucked up. Two, because I know you won’t trust anyone to take care of Jesse and Sombra for you,” she told him, face smug. He sputtered, still angry, Jack could tell, but really unable to argue with Ana. She cornered Gabe with the one thing he cared about most. 

“Fine. Fine. We’re using Jack’s old quarters though – they are large enough for all the kids, and it has its own bathroom.”

“Sounds good,” Jack replied. Hana pulled his hair. He didn’t think she like him much, but was more than a little terrified of how large Rein was. “Um, do you want to go with Rein to get stuff? Or, should I go?”

“I will make you a list,” Gabe said. Ana just smiled and handed him a data pad. He started inputting what he thought was needed: beds, clothes, games, and toiletries. He handed the pad to Jack, and took Sombra from Rein, situating her on his shoulders instead. “Follow that list exactly.”

“Gabe, there is so much stuff on here – “

“We don’t know how long this will last, and we have no idea how Talon did this. We should be prepared in case it happens again.” Jack nodded at that, and moved Hana off his shoulders. She resisted a bit but relented when Gabe took her, resting her on his hips. 

Jack stared at the image of Gabe: Sombra’s head on his, her hands under his chin, and Hana pressed face first into his side, straddling his one hip, his hand holding her securely. And Gabe looked happy, almost at peace. He was staring at Jesse though, by himself, too large cowboy hat propped on his head. Gabe still looked content though.

Jack had always liked Gabe, since the first day he met the man in the SEP. Gabe had been cocky but talented enough to back it up, and back then he was only slightly different than he was now. Jack was under no delusions when they brought Gabe from the brink that he would be a changed man: less trusting, more angry. It had taken years for their footing to get back to normal after the explosion.

After the explosion, and after Gabe stopped being a double agent and coming back to Overwatch permanently. He had been holding out, trying to get Sombra away from the organization as well. They were still trying for Amelie, but to Jack it seemed like a lost cause. Gabe was persistent though, and they would continue efforts to recover her until they found a way. Jack, Ana, and Angela figured that they owed Gabe that much, that they owed Amelie that much as well.

They had failed so many people. 

“Okay.”

“That means you too, Rein. Do not deviate from the list. Me and Ana will take care of the kiddos, and we will find out what’s going on with Oxton. Hopefully she wakes up soon.” 

“Alright. Let us know if you need anything else. We will see you in a few hours.” Gabe nodded and handed off Hana to Ana. “Maybe we should take Fareeha as well?”

“Excellent idea! Fareeha, join us!” Rein yelled, dragging Jack with him towards the last place he saw Ana’s daughter. Gabe and Ana just watched amused. 

“How about I take Hana and Sombra to get some food, and you go figure out Jesse?” Ana suggested, and Gabe shrugged. He wasn’t ready yet to give up Sombra, but knew that it would probably be best if he handled Jesse alone. He hadn’t come out of the corner since they were brought to the base according to Ana. “We will get some pizza, and then check up on Lena.”

“Thanks,” Gabe said, and pulled Sombra off his shoulders. She pouted but didn’t say anything when he handed her to Ana. “Be good for Ana, I will be around after I take care of the grump over there.”

“Okay,” Sombra said, looking a bit thoughtful. She turned to Ana. “Can we get extra cheese on the pizza?”

“YEAH!” Hana agreed, and the two girls high fived each other. Neither of them normally interacted: Hana had a strange habit of trying to get Sombra to download games onto her tech, and Sombra was frustrated beyond belief that she couldn’t even mod her way to a win against Hana’s gaming skills. It seemed though that neither one remembered that they weren’t currently talking to each other outside of missions. 

It was strange though, because from what Gabe understood, Jesse trusted Jack and Fareeha to get them back to base, but he claimed he didn’t know them or where he was. Gabe knew from talks with Jesse as a teen that he wouldn’t have trusted either of the adults, and would have just taken the three girls and ran for it. Unless, the fact that Lena was unconscious sealed the deal for him, and forced his hand. Or, it was possible that they remembered more than they knew and were just unable to access the information purposefully. Or, Jesse was lying.

“Jesse,” Gabe called out gently, approaching the boy slowly. The little cowboy stiffened but didn’t turn around. “Jesse.”

“G’way,” He mumbled, pulling his hat further down on his face. Gabe bit his lip to keep from laughing at the sight. Jesse couldn’t be more than ten years old, swathed in Hana’s clothes, and his serape bundled in his lap. 

“Jess,” Gabe crooned, crouching down. Jesse shifted away again, and his hands clenched his serape tighter. “C’mon kiddo, turn around.”

“No.”

“Why not?” Gabe asked gently, slowly creeping closer. 

“Cuz,” Jesse mumbled, shuffling away so his back was still to Gabe. “G’way.”

“Jesse, you know that’s not going to happen. What’s wrong?” Jesse still didn’t turn around, but he let Gabe get closer and angle his body so he was looking at him. He had tears on his cheeks and looked like he was trying not sniffle. “What’s wrong, kiddo?”

“I can’t find Gulliver.” He sniffled a little, and wiped his nose with his serape. “Where’s Gulliver?”

“Who’s Gulliver?” Gabe asked. Jesse shook his head, tugged his hat further down. “Jess, I can’t help you if I don’t know who Gulliver is.”

“M’horse,” Jesse whispered. “He’s brown and got white socks. He’s my best friend.”

“Oh, Jesse,” Gabe said, and tentatively put his hand on Jesse’s back. He didn’t flinch, instead pressing against it. Gabe figured that Jesse was a touch starved kid when he was younger, and for a whole moment he was amazed that his hand took up all of Jesse’s back, it was really hitting him that he was only ten years old. It would be seven years before he actually met Gabe. “Angela explained to you what happened?”

“Yeah, she said I was older now, but somehow I’m not.”

“Yeah. So, we don’t have Gulliver. But, I bet I can get you another horse. It won’t be the same, but we get you another horse.”

“Really?” Jesse asked, looking excited for a whole moment then deflating. “No, it’s okay.”

“Nah, Jack’s already out. Let me text him, and then you and me will meet up with the girls for pizza, okay?”

“Okay.” Gabe stood up, and helped Jesse, taking his serape and holding his head. With his free hand, he texted Jack telling him to add some plushies to the list specifically: a horse, a rabbit, a dog, and a fox. He took Jesse with him to the mess hall where Ana and the other’s were waiting.

* * *

“So, Lena hasn’t woken up yet?” Jack asked, and Gabe shook his head. They looked around Jack’s old quarters and the boxes of furniture that he, Rein and Fareeha picked up. Rein and Fareeha ran off after the delivery to play with the kids, and make sure they each go their own stuffed animals. Gabe wanted to see Jesse and Sombra got theirs, but Jack wasn’t letting him loose from this duty.

“How much did you buy?”

“Whatever your list said! Four beds, dressers, desks, and a playscape thingy. Plus, all the board games, the stuffed animals, the toiletries, and clothes. It was a lot.”

“I didn’t expect you to actually listen!”

“Gabe – that is a fair point,” Jack conceded, scratching the back of his neck. “So, uh, where do you want to start?”

“Beds?” Jack nodded. “Why didn’t you just get bunk beds?”

“Oh my god, Gabe, you didn’t – “

“I’m kidding, geeze. Lighten up. Alright, let’s see how this works out. How hard can it be to build some furniture?”

They opened bed box, pulling out the pieces, and sorting through the screws and nails. Gabe flipped through the instructions, trying to make heads and tails of the pictures. Jack looked over his shoulder, and snatched the booklet from his hands. He went back to the first page, and clapped Gabe on the shoulder. 

“C’mon soldier, we’ve been in tougher fights than this,” Jack told him, and Gabe just glared at him, and took the instructions back. “Hey!”

“If anyone’s gonna be in charge of this, it’s going to be me.”

“Who decided that?” Jack asked, reaching for the instructions. Gabe held them above his head, standing on his tippy toes to be just a smidgen taller than Jack. Jack jumped up, hands out stretched.

“I did, Morrison. I have more experience in building things,” Gabe told him, taking a step back. He kept the booklet over his head. “If I recall, you’re better at breaking things apart.”

“That was one time, Gabe,” Jack groaned, “And we fixed things just fine!”

“With my help, if you recall.” Jack shook his head, and put his hands up. 

“Fine, fine. Oh, mighty one, tell me what we have to do to make this bed.”

“That’s better,” Gabe laughed, and brought the instructions down to reading level. “Alright, old man, let’s get that – actually, it says we need to lay down carpet first? Do we even have a rug here?”

“No one listens to that – what’s step one?”

“It says we need a rug to not damage the pieces!” Gabe insisted, and Jack stood there with his arms crossed and foot tapping.

“GET TO STEP ONE!”

“Fine, you insufferable piece of – “

“Finish that. I I dare you,” Jack said and Gabe just huffed. “Just tell me what is step one.”

“We need to put these screw things into the footboard and headboard,” Gabe said and pointed to the pieces. Jack dragged them to the two of them, along with the screws. Together they got down on their knees and started working. 

“We don’t have screwdrivers.”

“Or a hammer,” Gabe added. They looked at each, and shrugged. “I think we just need some screwdrivers, use the butt of it to hammer stuff.”

“I think Winston has some tools. I’ll be right back,” Jack said, standing. He left the room, Gabe’s eyes following his form. Even after all these years, Jack still looked good. 

Jack had looked good from the moment Gabe met him. He was awkward and stupid, but Gabe liked that about him. He tried too hard to impress Gabe and pretend that he really wasn’t. He had read Jack’s crush from miles away, and was always glad that the other man hadn’t let it ruin their friendship. Jack’s friendship was one of the few things that Gabe really didn’t regret in his life, even after everything.

After everything Jack was still persistent, even with Gabe angry at him. He had wanted nothing to do with Jack or Angela, and Angela had respected that. Jack however was Jack “Always Right” Morrison. He went after Gabe, tracked him down, and attempted to convince him of what needed to be done. It was years of this badgering, and Gabe was secretly grateful for it. 

It was after they decided to work against Talon together, with Gabe being a double agent that he started to think about Jack in the same terms of more than friends. When they first met, Gabe only wanted a friend and Jack was always a good one: even in the bad times. Sometimes, especially the bad times. Jack was just always there for him. 

“Philip’s head and flat head!” Jack called out, coming back into the room. He had the screwdrivers in his hands, and looked extremely proud that he had found the tools. 

“Good. Get to work.”

“You aren’t going to help?”

“I’m supervising, to make sure your stupid ass doesn’t mess up.”

“I knew you were no good at building things,” Jack retorted teasingly. He sat on the floor next to the head- and footboard. Gabe sat next to him, almost close enough to touch, but not helping him any.

“Yeah, yeah – wrong hole,” Gabe said, pointing the correct one. Jack smacked his face with the back of his hand. “Hey.”

“Don’t be an ass. What’s the next step?”

“Uh, the wing thingies need screw thingies,” Gabe replied, scratching his chin. Jack cocked his head at him. “The small curved pieces on the sides, they attach to the head- and footboards.” 

“These?” Jack asked, holding up the pieces. Gabe nodded, and handed him the screws needed. “Alright boss, can you line up the next pieces? The faster we get this done, the faster we can play with the kids.” 

“Don’t be telling me what to do,” Gabe tells him, swatting his head. He got up though and brought the next pieces to Jack. He settled down next to him again, gearing up to yell the next set of instructions to Jack. 

“You love it,” Jack retorted, not looking at Gabe. Gabe sputtered a bit, and hit him with the instruction booklet. “Watch it, I’m doing delicate work.” 

“I’ll show you delicate work,” Gabe told him, and grabbed Jack by the waist and wrestling him closer to the ground, intending to show Jack who was boss. Gabe hovered above him, hands splayed on the floor on either side of Jack. They were both laughing, both somewhat breathless and unsure of themselves. 

“Gabe. . . “ 

Gabe looked at Jack’s face, the man stilling under his gaze. Gabe remembered when Jack was all cream skin and blonde hair, smooth and unblemished. He had scars now, age lines and wrinkles, hair had gone white in the time since both their “deaths”, and Gabe thought that he looked much better now. He put a hand to Jack’s face. 

“Hey,” Gabe whispered, and Jack leaned into his large hand. Gabe supposed that even compared to Jack, he didn’t look too bad. Angela and Winston had worked hard to make sure that he had more control of his body and the constant rebuilding of cells, and the wraithing. He still had his scars, and his skin was definitely more sallow than when he was younger. Jack still gave him the same awestruck looks though. 

Gabe brought his face closer to Jack, noticing that while Jack did age, his eyes were still the same bright blue and damned if that didn’t piss him off a bit. He smiled though, and Jack returned it. Jack tilted his head up, staring right at Gabe, a slight blush gracing his face. He reached his hand up, and cupped Gabe’s face in return.

“I thought you were going to show me delicate work,” Jack whispered, and Gabe chuckled, bringing his face right to Jack’s.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, breath hot across Jack’s mouth. He leaned in closer, pressing his lips to Jack’s and Jack surged up as best he could to meet with Gabe’s mouth. Gabe ran his thumb under Jack’s eye, and Jack’s hand went to the back of his neck, pulling Gabe down as his own head went back to the floor. 

Gabe followed, letting Jack direct the kiss from underneath him. Their mouths moved together, Jack’s other hand coming up to rub down Gabe’s back. Gabe pressed harder into the kiss, relishing the feel of the rough lips against his. He moved his hand up to go through Jack’s hair, tugging a bit. The other man moaned, and pressed Gabe’s face closer to his with the hand on his neck.

Gabe pulled away reluctantly, eyes never leaving Jack’s face. They were both panting slightly, and Jack’s hand had somehow slipped under Gabe’s shirt. He was flushed, face paler than normal and mouth red. Gabe assumed that he didn’t look much better. 

“That was some delicate work,” Jack said, voice low. He looked almost bashful. “What brought that on?”

“Wanted to show you delicate work.” He pressed his lips to Jack’s again, and then hauled himself up to a sitting position next to him. “We gotta finish this.”

“Yeah, but don’t think we aren’t talking about this,” Jack told him, and sat up to. Gabe just nodded, and ran his fingers through Jack’s hair. He wanted to kiss him again, but they had to finish up the furniture for their kiddos. “Stop it. Furniture, talk, then maybe more of this.”

“Aye, aye, my Commander. Alright, next up we are doing . . . something.”

“What? Give me those,” Jack said, taking the instructions from Gabe, and looking through them. He stopped on the page where they last left off, and checked the line of items that Gabe put together. He reached for one, and brought it closer. 

“Here we are, it looks like this is gonna be a two person job in a moment. Up for it?”

They worked together mostly in silence, every now and again one of them would kiss the other, and the other would bat them away before they continued on. They worked steadily, finishing one bed, then moving onto the next ones. They put together the dressers, and the indoor playscape. They surveyed their work when the finished, and looked at everything, then at each other.

“We forgot the mattresses,” they said together. 

“We can get them after dinner. Before the kids go to bed. Let’s go check on them.”

“We’re both dumbasses.” They nodded at each other, and left Jack’s old room together, shoulders brushing. 

“Amari’s gonna know the moment she sees us,” Gabe told Jack, not stepping out his space. “You got a problem with that?”

“I’ve been waiting for over twenty years for you to make a move, I don’t care who knows.”

* * *

“How was it, boys?” Ana asked as they came into the communal room. Sombra and Hana were playing some racing game that Jack had never seen Hana play before, and Jesse was with Fareeha, playing with his stuffed horse he got him, and some of Rein’s model tanks. Everything looked so domestic it put an ache in Jack’s chest. Gabe bumped his shoulder against Jack’s, knocking him out of his thoughts. 

“It was good. Gabe didn’t do shit. Like normal.”

“Rude,” Gabe said back, a smile forming on his mouth. Ana tutted and shook his head. 

“Language. There are children here,” Ana corrected them. She herded them out of the communal room to the kitchen area, where Gabe could see that she had a kettle on the stove. She didn’t begin talking again until the kids were out of earshot, and she had poured them all cups of tea. 

“Any news about Lena?”

“She woke up for a bit – things are bit hazy from her, but we think she’s all there.”

“That’s good news, right? Have we contacted Emily at all?” Jack asked, sipping the tea Ana gave him. It was earthy and hot, and he didn’t like it. He drank it anyway. 

“Winston and Athena are getting Emily here. They will take care of her.”

“And Mei?”

“She’ll be here in a few days. Hopefully, Angela and I figure out a way to keep Lena awake long enough to talk.”

“What about Jesse?”

“What about him, Gabriel?”

“I think he’s more aware than he lets on – nothing from what I know about him says that he would still be trusting us. He got Lena and the others here, I can’t see that he would still be indulging us if he didn’t know something.”

“I was thinking the same thing, too,” Ana conceded. “He won’t talk to us, but he is having a good time with Fareeha, granted that she doesn’t ask him any questions. They have just been playing tanks and cowboys since after lunch.”

“That sounds like him. Fucking cowboys and tanks.”

“Language. He named the horse Jet, I think because of Fareeha.”

“Yeah, yeah, old woman. They aren’t here to hear me,” Gabe grumbled, and Ana smacked his hand with a spoon. “Hey!”

“Mind your manners,” Ana told him. And he just nodded, giving into Ana’s demands. “Maybe you can get Jesse to talk to you more, he did ask about you.”

“Oh?” Gabe tried not to sound to hopeful. “After dinner maybe. Jack and I have to get mattresses for their beds.”

“Yeah, we totally forgot,” Jack said. He continued drinking his tea. Gabe pressed his thigh against Jack’s, and put his hand on top of it and squeezing. “So, have you guys run any tests on the kids?”

“Angela’s waiting for results now. Best case scenario is that this wears off.”

“Worst case?” Gabe asked. 

“They grow up.” Gabe nodded, it really was the worst case, but secretly, deep down inside of him, he kinda wanted to give that to Jesse and Sombra: a bit of a more normal childhood. Be able to treat them right, set them back on a path they were on before all the shit hit the fan for them. It was unfair to want that for them, but he did. “Gabriel, you can’t think like that.”

“Like what?” Gabe growls out, damning Ana for her ability to read him so well. 

“We are going to get them through this and back to their old selves. Gabriel, it is unfair – I know that you love those two, but we can’t think like that – they both have lives. Hana and Lena, they have lives, too.”

“I know, I know. Sometimes – I just wish that I had found them sooner, you know?”

“I know, Gabriel. We all have regrets. But we work with what we have,” she finished, taking a sip of her tea. She eyed the two men carefully. “Speaking of which, you two finally figure yourselves out?” Jack looked at Gabe, and Gabe returned the look.

“We’re getting there,” Jack said. And Ana laughed. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.”

“Mmm. Alright, now you know the situation – go talk to Jesse before dinner. Jack, help me get things ready to feed the kids and us. I’ll send Rein to help monitor the kids with Fareeha,” Ana decided, and got up from her spot at the table. Jack followed her, and Gabe went back to the communal room. 

Fareeha smiled at Gabe as he approached. Jesse stopped playing, and turned to look at him. He didn’t put down his stuffed horse that Jack got him, instead clutched it harder in hand. Fareeha stood up, and patted him gently on his head, and Gabe noticed that he wasn’t wearing his too large hat. He shied away from the contact a bit, and she went over to Sombra and Hana. Gabe sat down in front of him.

“Were you having fun?”

“Yeah,” he said shyly. He brought his stuffed horse, Jet, close to his chest; it was black with a white stripe on its nose. 

“Ana said that they asked you some stuff, but you didn’t want to talk about it. Can you talk about it with me?”

“I don’t know.” Gabe nodded, and then scratched his chin. 

“What if, we weren’t here?”

“What?” Jesse looked at him curiously.

“We can go outside – I can show you the ocean. Would you talk to me then, if we were in private?” Jesse thought about it for a moment, and Gabe could see it. He didn’t really want to give this up, but he knew that Ana was right. Adult Jesse had a life here with the others, he was almost forty and finally figuring out things for himself. Gabe shouldn’t wish for him to have to start his life over again because he felt guilty for not finding the kid sooner. 

“The ocean?”

“Have you ever seen the ocean, Jess?” Gabe asked. Jesse shook his head. “Okay. Bring Jet with you, and we can go outside.”

“And talk?” Gabe nodded back at him, and stood up. He held out his hand for Jesse, and he took it. Gabe liked that his hand was small and he felt like he could protect him again. Gabe hadn’t felt like that in ages. 

“And talk.” They left the communal area, and Gabe took them through a series of hallways. Jesse kept up with him pretty well, almost like he knew where he was going. It gave Gabe a bit of hope that maybe little Jesse did know more than he let on. 

Jesse let out a gasp as they outside on one of the base’s open platform. The sun was just over the horizon, getting ready to set and the ocean gleamed. Gabe watched his face, his grip on Jesse’s hand getting a bit tighter. Jesse stood on his tippy toes, Jet clutched against his chest. 

“What do you think, kiddo?” 

“It’s so big,” Jesse said, sounding very small. Gabe gingerly sat down on the ledge, and helped Jesse sit next to him. He kept an arm around his waist, making sure that he couldn’t fall without Gabe. “It’s bigger than the desert.”

“Yeah, I suppose it is.” Gabe paused, and let Jesse watch the ocean and the sunset. They had a little bit of time before dinner started. “So, Jesse, what do you remember about here?”

“I’ve never been here,” he answered quickly. Gabe knew that tone: it was the same one Jesse used when Gabe first caught him. Apparently he forgot that Gabe could read better than almost anyone else. 

“Jess,” Gabe said warningly. Jesse flinched away a bit, but Gabe kept a firm grip on him. “C’mon, it’s just you, me and the ocean.”

“I remember some things? This place is familiar, so is Ana, and you, and Fareeha.”

“Do you remember what happened at the warehouse?”

“Um, Fareeha and Jack left. And Sombra checked for, for something. Lena was ready to go, and Hana waiting to charge in as well,” Jesse said quietly, looking out at the ocean, not making any eye contact with Gabe. Gabe waited for him to continue. “I told them to go inside, I think? And, and when we got in there, there was a huge flash.”

“Anything else?”

“Um, Lena fell down. She screamed real loud – it was so loud. Hana jumped out of her Meka, and helped me with her. Sombra went to go do something. She didn’t change right away – she told me she was going to get help.”

“Sombra didn’t change right away?” Jesse shook his head. That was important information. “Was she in stealth mode when you guys went into the warehouse?”

“I don’t know, maybe?” Gabe nodded. It was either that Sombra was in stealth mode, or her implants helped stop the change. “She wasn’t in stealth mode when she left us. She came back younger though. Does that help?”

“Yes, yes it does,” Gabe told him, and ruffled his hair a bit. “Wanna stay watching the sunset?”

“Yeah.” Jesse leaned into Gabe, and the two of stayed on the platform, just watching the sunset until Jack came and got them for dinner. Gabe hefted Jesse up on his hip, ignoring his protests, and put his arm low around Jack’s waist and they walked back inside. 

For now, the moment was perfect. They could deal with everything later.

**Author's Note:**

> that's all folks! this universe is closed, done, kaput. live your dreams: you choose how this ends up after dinner. 
> 
> it was super fun to write. seriously, let me know how much you enjoyed this story! 
> 
> remember, you can always drop by my [tumbles!](http://jellybeanchili.com)


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